 |
| They actually have a name: "the painted ladies" |
Full album here:
I yet again got to go somewhere cool for "work" purposes. I'm on surgery but asked off the time to go back in May. I got three days off to go, and because of them I actually haven't had a morning/day off surgery for the past 3 weeks, until my first one tomorrow (ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh). I actually missed a lot of good surgery experience just to go, but...I guess it was worth it.
 |
| Haight and Ashbury. I had heard that there wasn't much there, but I found plenty of neat things to see in stores on Haight. |
I got there the day before my poster session nice and early. I stayed with a friend of my sister-in-laws who lived in a great neighborhood downtown. Her apartment is very similar to something I'd expect in old Louisville, but cost $1750/month (compared to like probably $650 here). I was able to walk everywhere the first day out, when I saw the painted ladies, haight and ashbury, and the golden gate park.
 |
| A really neat, authentic vintage shop I came across. "Mystery Mister" |
The girl I was staying with had to work since it was during the week, so I ended up hanging out by my lonesome there. That was definitely a good motivator to take a lot of pictures, which I would about every time I saw something that I wished I could gush about with a friend. (like a dead bad in glass. weird, crazy, kind of cool but sad). I felt safe, my host didn't think I needed to worry about walking around by myself. This was reinforced by the way people were walking around everywhere, many of them by themselves like me.
 |
| Random J pop shop on Haight st. I'm totally into this moustache trend right now. |
one thing about going around a city by myself meant that I could just wing everything. I had a bus map and found 2 areas I wanted to focus on that I had heard about, and just went. I got to see a lot, but spent time on things I especially liked (like the piers). There weren't many places my host thought I needed to avoid.
 | | | |
| Another weird place on Haight st. |
|
|
I may have been alone, but I had a number of random conversations with strangers. For the photo below, I started to try to take the picture by myself, but a local came up and offered to do it. My impressions were good that everyone was friendly and polite. artsy people were of course everywhere.
 |
| I was just surprised that these flowers were real. It was random. In golden gate park by some tennis courts. |
I got back that night early enough to go to a local Indian place with my host and her fiance'. They were really great for me, and I slept very well on their Ikea couch... In fact the morning of my presentation was the only morning I've slept in in the last 20 days (9+ hours. awesome).
 |
| I liked this. Although most of my thoughts just levitate towards understanding how there are people who live being able to embrace places like this. It just seems unreal. I don't think I'm poor. but this place makes probably 99.9% of our population feel so. |
The next day I went around Union square a little while before my presentation. I got a number of gifts for Christine Chris, Jeff and Sai while I was in town. lots of little cute things. I would've got a ton more, there were so many neat things I came across, but we are pretty broke right now unfortunately.
 |
| "Workin hard" for 2 hours of my trip. I had some good discussions with visitors. I'm happy with it all. :) |
Me and my presentation above. I didn't know anyone at the conference and I think I was the only Louisville representation, definitely surgical oncology wise. However, I did meet a few women attendings from Yale who work with Chagpar, which was pretty nice. I like surgery a lot. I still don't know how I feel about Yale as a program, but god I'd love to work with Chagpar and continue my mentorship with her. I need to make some decisions about away rotations over the next 6 months. I also would like to look in SF at their residency programs...
 |
| really neat old boat on Hyde pier. |
After my presentation, I headed out to the piers, fisherman's wharf and ghiradelli square, which was pretty touristy. Saw some neat things ...I had no idea Alcatraz was off the border of SF. I think they had boats going out there for tours...that would've been neat, but I stuck to my by-foot independent ventures...
 |
| Marc Jacobs display window. |
This picture at Marc Jacobs was near the end of my ventures and it was only at this point the idea occurred to me that it would've been fun to take a picture of myself every time I saw a reflection. I didn't feel like asking others to take my picture, mostly because my camera screen still doesn't work so I have to try to take photos strategically.
 |
| 10 years ago I would've died to find this place. |
I was going to go to the golden gate bridge on the second day, but it was too foggy (which apparently is something that is very characteristic of SF). I wish I would've anticipated the fog, because the first day was very clear, and if there was any picture I wanted to take specifically, it was of that. Instead I went straight to Japantown, where I got lots of great stuff... I'd never been to anything like it before, it was very authentic and freaking neato. Made me realize a bit more how much I've forgotten Japanese wise though. I need to pick that back up, esp. if I'd like to shoot for California for residency...
Well anyways, it was a good time. I want to go back. Not feeling in the mood to gush much more about it, but I loved it and would love to live there.
